A common question is circulating the world. Are schools safe? Some might think that schools are extremely safe while others may disagree.

Here at FHS multiple safety procedures are present for both students and staff in case a problem were to occur.

But do these things really make the students feel safe?

After a short anonymous survey asking students questions about their opinion on our schools safety most answers have been half and half.

When asked the question “Do you feel safe here at FHS?” a variety of answers were presented. One student responded No, another responded “Most of the time”, and four students responded yes.

Safety is a key item in students everyday learning including students knowing what safety items are present to the students if need be.

When asked the question “What things safety wise do you know we have around our school?”

Four students responded with our security guards, five responded with our main doors/boots, one responded with the A.L.I.C.E program, and two responded with security cameras.

Students knowing about these items are essential in case a threat like an intruder was to occur. Unfortunately no students replied with items such as fire extinguishers, chemical showers, chemical eye rinses, etc, which are other safety features students have access to.

In schools there are three different types of lockdowns, level one being that all outdoor activities are stopped, exterior doors are locked, and classes resume as normal.

A level two lockdown consists of all outdoor activities being stopped, classroom doors and windows are locked, Windows are covered, finally Classes resume as normal but nobody can enter the room or leave the room.

And finally level three consists of all outdoor activities stopped, windows covered, lights being turned off, students staying quiet, no movement, and absolutely not opening the door for anyone.

Incase of a level three lockdown teachers, staff, and students go into A.L.I.C.E which is an abbreviation for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate.

Teachers and staff go through special training for A.L.I.C.E while some students have been taught the procedure. Unfortunately not all students have had the opportunity to learn A.L.I.C.E which does put up some safety concerns.

When asked the question “Did you ever have A.L.I.C.E training?”

Three students replied with No, One student replied with Yes but they did not learn it in school, and three students replied with Yes.

Another question that was presented in the survey was “If we went under A.L.I.C.E would you know what to do?”

Three students replied with No, one of the three even saying they didn’t know what A.L.I.C.E stood for. While four other students answered with the procedure that takes place during A.L.I.C.E.

Even though A.L.I.C.E is extremely important just in case a level three lockdown were to take place, it is also important to acknowledge how safe students actually feel in our school environment.

When asked the question “How secure do you feel our school or any FCSschool is?” multiple diverse answers appeared.

“7/10,” Anon student 1 answered.

“2/10,” Anon student 2 answered.